Melittidae (Oil-Collecting Bees)
Some of the unusual bees in this small family (Macropis spp.) collect floral oils for their larvae from Lysimachia spp. (Yellow-Flowered Loosestrifes). The floral oil is mixed with pollen in the shape of a ball. These bees usually construct nests in the ground, which are lined with water-resistant chemicals. Adults feed on nectar while visiting flowering plants other than the Yellow-Flowered Loosestrifes. Another unusual bee in this family is the oligolectic or monolectic bee, Melitta americana, which collects pollen from Vaccinium stamineum (Deerberry).